Latest F1 news in brief

Sergio Marchionne: Just show me the money

Marchionne steps back from F1 quit threat
Keeping title lead will be difficult – Hamilton
F1 can thrive without big noise – Dupasquier
Busy Alonso sitting out post Spain GP test
Mercedes eyes Ferrari-Haas style collaboration
Cheat doubts still hang over 2018 Ferrari
Hamilton fears Miami's beautiful women would ruin his chances of winning
Honda's Toyoharu Tanabe: "We are still slightly down on power compared to our rivals"

Marchionne steps back from F1 quit threat
(GMM) Sergio Marchionne has delivered a more upbeat message about Ferrari's future in formula one.

In recent weeks and months, the Ferrari president has been warning F1 owner Liberty Media that it may leave the series over disagreements about the 2021 rules.

But now Marchionne sounds more upbeat, particularly about the performance of Ferrari's 2018 car.

"We are in a phenomenal condition with the car," he is quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"We were unlucky in Baku, but it is the most promising car since I've been here," Marchionne added.

"Both of our drivers are encouraged and there are still developments that will be seen later in the season. It is important for Ferrari to be the winner in F1," he said.

As for the post-2020 talks with Liberty, Marchionne appeared to step back from his F1 quit threat.

"What you have to bear in mind is that Ferrari will continue to race. It's in our blood. We will continue to show our abilities," he said.

And referring to Liberty, Marchionne added: "I am encouraged by the change of attitude and we have enough to discuss. We will reach a conclusion by the end of the year."

Keeping title lead will be difficult – Hamilton

Hamilton winning in Baku

(GMM) Lewis Hamilton has admitted he will struggle to hang onto his new lead in the 2018 world championship.

His first win of the season in Baku puts him 4 points ahead of Sebastian Vettel, but Hamilton admits that it is the Ferrari with the fastest car.

"Leading the championship is great, but if we continue as we are, it will take a lot of lucky races to keep me here," the Mercedes driver is quoted by Marca.

"And you can't expect that for the next 17 races," Hamilton added.

The Briton said the biggest problem with the 2018 car is the tires, but admitted that he also needs to improve on a personal level.

"The car has the pace but we are not unlocking it. We need performance and I need a rhythm and they're not in perfect harmony," he explained.

As for Ferrari, Hamilton admitted: "Their pure pace is much better than ours at the moment.

"By no means do we have a bad car, but we need to improve it to make it easier to drive.

"I felt really good in Australia but it hasn't worked out since then and I'm not sure why."

Liberty Media's sporting boss Ross Brawn agrees with Hamilton that Ferrari is ahead of Mercedes after four races.

"It is the first time since the beginning of the hybrid era that Mercedes is not technically superior to its opponents," he is quoted by Globo.

F1 can thrive without big noise – Dupasquier

Pierre Dupasquier

(GMM) F1 can survive without the big engines and sounds of the past.

That is the view of Pierre Dupasquier, the former Michelin boss who was in F1 at the height of the V10 and tire war era over a decade ago.

Five years into the controversial 'hybrid' era, F1 owner Liberty Media is now looking into making the category louder for 2021.

But Dupasquier said the new generation will adjust to the modern age.

"Young people are in another category," he told France's Auto Hebdo.

"With the gaming consoles they're getting used to something different and they're seeing hybrid and electric cars on a daily basis as well.

"They will end up wondering why an F1 car makes so much noise," Dupasquier added.

Indeed, he said rewinding to the past would be the wrong step for formula one.

"Nobody would understand this old machine in a time when road cars have all the modern finesse," he said.

Busy Alonso sitting out post Spain GP test

Alonso knows why waste his time with F1 where he cannot win because it's 99% car 1% driver

(GMM) Fernando Alonso will skip the forthcoming post-Spanish grand prix test.

As he splits his time in 2018 between F1 and preparation for Le Mans, the Spaniard is this weekend at Spa-Francorchamps for the 6 hour sports car endurance race with Toyota.

And McLaren has just announced that Stoffel Vandoorne, Lando Norris and Oliver Turvey will drive in Barcelona for the F1 test following the Spanish grand prix.

Alonso told AS newspaper: "We discussed the test calendar in February, and they asked me if I wanted to do the one after the grand prix in Barcelona.

"I said no, and that means more rest, yes, but even if I wasn't doing the WEC, I probably would be at home anyway," he added.

Mercedes eyes Ferrari-Haas style collaboration

Grosjean in the anti-American Haas

(GMM) Toto Wolff says Mercedes is open to establishing a relationship with a customer team along the lines of Ferrari-Haas.

In recent days, Lance Stroll's father Lawrence has confirmed that he has discussed the possibility of a closer relationship between Williams and Mercedes.

Williams is resisting that move, but now Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admits that a 'customer team'-type arrangement is possible in the future.

"We've seen that the system between Ferrari and Haas is working for both sides," he is quoted by Globo.

"It is profitable for Ferrari, good for Haas and in terms of synergy, there is a lot that can be made to work," the Mercedes chief added.

"So far the partnership has been successful and of course our thinking goes in that direction, either with Williams or with Force India," Wolff revealed.

"But right now we are in the middle of a tough fight for the championship, so we need to prioritize."

Wolff suggested that although a collaboration could get started for 2019, it might take longer to bear fruit.

"We can do something by 2019, we have that ability," he said. "The problem is in the details. It's not just about increasing production, but doing it in a way that does not hinder anything.

"It would be a long-term project and not something with an immediate impact in 2019," Wolff added.

Cheat doubts still hang over 2018 Ferrari

The British media have to have some excuse why Hamilton is getting beat

(GMM) Ferrari's field-leading 2018 car continues to raise suspicions.

La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that, without naming a team specifically, the FIA has now banned teams from topping up oil during qualifying.

It follows rumors the 2018 Ferrari engine, which smokes excessively when started up, may have taken a big step forward thanks to clever trickery in the area of oil consumption.

"The FIA examined the Ferrari in China and looked at drawings of the entire oil system," Germany's Auto Motor und Sport reports.

It was found to be legal. But that's not all.

First, Auto Motor und Sport says Red Bull is alleging that the shape of Ferrari's 2018 rear view mirrors does not comply with the regulations.

And after Baku, it emerged that Mercedes has doubts about the clever design of Ferrari's 2018 battery cells, which may produce more than the allowed 4 megajoules.

"The topic could occupy formula one in the coming weeks," said correspondent Michael Schmidt.

Finally, there are claims Ferrari is using the turbocharger to produce gas that then blows the rear wing.

"One possibility is that former Ferrari engine boss Lorenzo Sassi, who has been working for Mercedes since April, has been talking," Schmidt added.

Hamilton fears Miami's beautiful women would ruin his chances of winning

Hamilton always drives better when he doesn't have woman problems

Britain's world champion, who leads Sebastian Vettel by four points in this year's title chase, is worried by the American coastal city's "many distractions".

If local authorities pass votes next week and next month, then Formula One will be get the green light to race in downturn Miami from October 2019.

And Mercedes ace Hamilton joked he could be badly sidetracked if Miami becomes a venue.

The Mail report the 33-year-old as saying: "My friend messaged me about Miami, and I was like 'I'm not winning that race because Miami is exciting, it is awesome and it is a great party spot'

"Oh jeez, it is going to be a hard weekend. I might have to stay out of town.

"There are a lot of beautiful women (in Miami) and there is going to be so many distractions."

Honda's Toyoharu Tanabe: "We are still slightly down on power compared to our rivals"

Toyoharu Tanabe in his IndyCar days

Toyoharu Tanabe admits Honda are still lacking power compared to their rivals in 2018 despite a top ten finish in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last Sunday.

Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda endured a tough weekend at the Baku Street Circuit, with Tanabe, Honda F1’s Technical Director, saying they seemed to lack top speed on race day in comparison to earlier in the weekend, something they will need to find the reasons for.

However, Tanabe feels the power deficit is more of a problem, and they will need to continue their development programme to ensure they improve their pace, although without compromising their reliability.

"The whole package lacked top speed today, more so than on the first two days and we must now look at the cause for that," said Tanabe. "However, it is clear that part of the reason for this is that we are still slightly down on power compared to our rivals.

"We knew this and are working hard on development to improve, while not compromising the reliability of the PU components."

Tanabe admitted it took the mistakes of others for Brendon Hartley to secure his first point in Formula 1, although team-mate Pierre Gasly had misfortune during the race after running inside the top ten at either end of the race before contact with Kevin Magnussen ended his chance of a second points finish of 2018.

"After a difficult first two days, both drivers did well to stay out of trouble in the early chaos and managed to move up the order, with Pierre running inside the top ten in the early part and again towards the end until the coming together with Magnussen," said Tanabe.

"In the end, we benefited from the mistakes of others for Brendon to take his first F1 point."